Argument leads to stolen gun arrest of Woodville man

A 31-year-old Woodville man involved in a verbal argument is behind bars for alleged possession of a stolen and loaded handgun.

The Porterville Police Department said that at 11:34 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to the 200 block of East Orange Avenue for a verbal altercation between two men, one of whom had a handgun.

When officers arrived, they saw Noel Lopez entering a residence in the area.

Witnesses at the scene told police that Lopez did not live at the residence and tossed a handgun inside.

Officers detained Lopez and found a loaded handgun behind a TV in the living room of the home, the PPD reported.

The handgun was stolen out of Woodville in 2011 and had been reported to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.

Lopez was later booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property and possession of a concealed and loaded firearm.

He is being held at the Tulare County Jail.